Towson slips past Hammond Girls volleyball

November 12, 1992|By Gary Lambrecht | Gary Lambrecht,Staff Writer

Sparked by tenacious defense and the superb play of Abby Burk, Towson made its first trip to the playoffs in five years count with a 15-9, 15-8, 13-15, 17-15 victory over visiting Hammond in the Class 2A, Region III semifinals last night.

The victory sends the second-seeded Generals (11-3) to the regional title match Saturday against fourth-seeded, defending state champion Mount Hebron. Game time is set tentatively for 7 p.m.

"That's the best match we've played this year," said Towson coach Bev Snyder. "They did everything I wanted. Person-to-person, they [Hammond] were probably the better team. But we played better tonight."

No one played better than Burk, the Generals' 5-foot-10 leader who performed admirably in every role. She set her teammates well, she pounded 15 kills at the Golden Bears (10-6), produced two point blocks and confounded Hammond with a vicious serve. Burk had eight aces.

"It's been so long since we've been to regionals, and now we're going to the finals," Burk said. "I know we can do this. I didn't want it to slip away."

"They played smart," said Hammond coach Henry Dahlen, who announced his resignation after 12 years at Hammond. "They hardly made any mistakes. That's how we played last year."